This winter we have two students participating in a Mayan immersion program. One is focusing on oral history and the other, midwifery. Both are learning the language through taking classes 100% in Mayan and in just a few weeks will start their independent projects in small, Mayan speaking communities.
Here is one of our students during her oral exam for her class.
This stage of the program in the capital city of Merida is the first true immersion for our students, They begin to acclimate to the way of life here with their local host families while having daily classes that push them to continue learning while also providing a comfortable space to ask questions and explore concepts. Our adventure in Merida began with a very important element of this program: meeting our host families who will walk hand-in-hand with our students for this first part of the immersion process in the city. It is thanks to our wonderful Yucatecan host families that our students will better adapt to this urban context. Another important and necessary element during our time in Merida are Spanish classes, because the language is key for interacting with, and diving into, the culture. During this class, students not only learn grammar and structure, but also develop their linguistic abilities using colloquial forms of speech. ...